Strategies to impress an interviewer with insightful questions

There are literally thousands of articles on the internet providing lists of the best questions to ask in an interview. Unfortunately those questions represent some of the most boring, uninsightful and dead end questions you could possibly ask in an interview.

If you’re not already aware, as a candidate sitting in the interviewee seat, asking good questions to the interviewer can be one of the most important parts of the interview. In fact, one of the most common reasons a company lists that they pass on a candidate is that they didn’t ask any good questions. Or any questions at all.

As an executive career coaching firm, we hear clients at some of the highest professional levels plan to ask questions such as, “What is the company culture?” or “What do you like best about working for the company?” But these questions are not only boring but can be applied to literally any job or company on the planet. A strategic candidate should do significant research prior to arriving at an interview, and the questions the candidate asks the interviewer should paint the picture that this candidate is prepared, engaged, and a thoughtful consultative prospect that the company needs to bring on board.

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It’s no secret the people in general love to talk about themselves. And it’s no different in interviews. While an interview should consist of an even 50/50 dialogue with both the interviewer and interviewee participating in equal speaking time, the questions you ask as a candidate should stimulate industry discussion where the interviewer can get excited to explain more about the position, upcoming projects, acquisitions, initiatives or any number of exciting aspects of their business.

By getting the interviewer excited to start “pitching” the company and position to you, you can effectively put yourself in the driver seat and drive the interview in the direction you want.

Want to learn more about how you can turn the tables on an interview? Contact one of our executive career coaches at 561-513-6989 to set up an appointment. Or email us at info@dragoncareers.com